EU’s António Costa to visit India for 16th EU-India Summit on 27 January, after Republic Day guest-of-honour role
European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are in India for the 16th EU-India Summit on 27 January 2026, with trade, security, clean transition and people-to-people ties set to dominate talks.
- Reporting desk
- Health India Network News Desk
- First published
Summit diplomacy immediately after Republic Day
The European Union’s top leadership is travelling to India for the 16th EU-India Summit scheduled for Tuesday, 27 January 2026, in New Delhi. European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to push forward the EU-India strategic partnership across multiple policy tracks.
The summit comes directly after their participation as guests of honour at India’s 77th Republic Day parade on Monday, 26 January. EU institutions described that ceremonial presence as a significant signal of deepening ties—an unusually high-profile role for EU leaders at a signature national event.
What’s expected on the agenda
According to the European Council’s announcement, the leaders’ discussions in Delhi are expected to focus on trade, security and defence, the clean transition, and people-to-people cooperation. The framing suggests an effort to treat economic issues and geopolitical coordination as parallel priorities rather than sequential ones.
Trade is positioned as a major pillar, but the public brief also places clear emphasis on broader strategic coordination—particularly on security and defence—reflecting Europe’s sharper focus on resilience and partnerships amid evolving global risks.
A wider Indo-Pacific itinerary
After India, Costa is expected to travel to Vietnam on 29 January 2026 for meetings with the country’s top leadership. The EU has pointed to the Vietnam visit as part of broader relationship-building in the region, signalling the EU’s intention to remain engaged in the Indo-Pacific through top-level diplomacy and upgraded partnerships.
For India, the timing—Republic Day visibility followed by a next-day summit—compresses symbolism and substance into a single diplomatic window, giving both sides an opportunity to convert ceremony into commitments on trade, security cooperation and technology-linked collaboration.